The Eight Hundred

This is the second film about the Second Sino-Japanese War I've seen within a short time, and, honestly, yesterday's film was much more powerful. The Chinese creators really leaned into melodrama this time around, which is a real shame because otherwise, they stuck closely to the actual events. The story of defending the warehouse against the overwhelming Japanese forces was already a gripping subject for a film. The plot was unnecessarily stretched out which felt like a disservice to the bravery of these undisputed Chinese heroes. The film also shed light on a troubling aspect: how the defenders of democracy at the time shifted from their original stance of non-interference (in Asia) to later directly betraying their allies in Europe. (01/21/2022)

The highest grossing film of 2020 (460 million) is an instant classic and the best war film of the last ten years. From start to finish, it's an adrenaline-fueled, atmospheric, brutal and uncompromising ride as we follow 800 Chinese soldiers defending a warehouse in the middle of Shanghai from an enormous Japanese army. The spectacular visuals and attractive cinematography are so great that several times I felt like pausing the film to take a picture. The film rushes incredibly forward, it hardly leaves the battlefield as we follow the brave Chinese tasked with defending the warehouse for five whole days from waves of enemy soldiers. I liked that the action is everything one can expect in the war genre. Gorgeous and well thought out stealth action, sniping people trying to escape across a bridge, air raids, suicide bombers, close range knife fights and engaging firefights. As you watch, you feel like you're with the soldiers in the middle of a mad carnage where bullets are flying and tearing everything apart. The level of violence is really high and it's a joy to watch. I must also praise the great cinematography, the awesome sound design, where every siren or gunshot gives you instant goosebumps, and I enjoyed the characters, who don't get that much space, but there's a favourite for everyone. The atmosphere engulfed me like no film has in a long time and already at least five scenes have a chance to become iconic. An absolute must for fans of history and spectacular warfare. A gem to be archived! Anyone who gives less than three stars is permanently unfriended and will become Infernal Enemy numero uno. Story*****, Action*****, Humor>No, Violence*****, Entertainment*****, Music*****, Visuals*****, Atmosphere*****, Suspense*****. 10/10. (11/03/2020)